Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of the mrlukeniktravels blog, coming from Melbourne, Australia. I am still in the city as a result of the the Victorian (the state not the time period) vehicle licensing system. I had hoped to be over the Bass Strait in Tasmania by now but unfortunately that is not the case. However, the delay has meant spending more time in the this lovely city. As I write the sun is beaming down outside and it is a pleasurable 21 degrees. Thankfully the humidity of last week has gone and the sunshine has returned! The banging, crashing and shuddering of the construction site next door hopefully won’t push my fingers off the keyboard!
Writing this as I do on a Monday, it has been a busy weekend for the city. Last Thursday to Sunday Melbourne hosted the Australian Grand Prix and, of course, yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day. Coming after Labour Day weekend the previous week, there has been much celebrating happening. Over the weekend I stayed in a hostel in Prahran district where I could hear the sound of racing cars in Melbourne Park from my window. From Friday afternoon onwards during the daytime there was the constant buzz of helicopters overhead too. It reminded me a little of my time in Fox Glacier, New Zealand. The international show that is Formula One was in town. Glitz, glamour and prestige abounded, something that is quite the opposite of my life that the moment! The combined festivities made for a great atmosphere over the weekend and I did enjoy a few pints of Irish Gold yesterday afternoon. It would be rude not to!
During my time in Melbourne I have been able to catch up with a couple of the locals who I met in other places on my travels. It is great but also strange to see them on their home ground. There are a lot of Australians in Canada, but not as many as in Australia! For all of us the east coast of Canada last July seems a long time ago. They have come back home, returned to work and so on while I am still travelling. I shall, I suppose, eventually return home to roost although that seems still quite a way off yet. I have to remind myself still that home is a 24 hour flight away still, though not quite as far as from New Zealand. It was great to meet up, share some drinks and stories. I also managed to get a few tips for places to visit whilst I am in this part of Australia. Never turn down free advice!
I am hoping that by tomorrow afternoon I shall have a transferred, licensed and registered vehicle to get me on the road. As I mentioned last week, each state in Australia has different rules governing the registration and inspection of vehicles, even different speed limits. As someone who comes from a country with a single licensing authority this is confusing to say the least. Add to that it is transfer between two non-resident, foreign nationals the complexity increases. I now know more than I would like to about vehicle licensing in the state of Victoria… Still, hopefully by tomorrow afternoon it will all be resolved and by Thursday morning I shall be in Tasmania. I shall be taking the overnight ferry from Melbourne to Davenport and am really looking forward to exploring the island. Hopefully the weather will stay fine too!
That is almost all from this week in Melbourne. From Wednesday onwards I will probably have less access to the Internet- don’t worry I have stocked up on books and podcasts. My posts, therefore, might not be quite as regular, both here and on my social media accounts. I am looking forward to getting back into nature, hiking and the outdoors which I have been missing since leaving New Zealand. I am also looking forward to taking a break from hostels for awhile and having the freedom of my own transport. Camping here we come! As always, my Twitter feed can be found via the handle @mrlukeniktravel, and Instagram @mrlukeniktravels. So from now until next time, stay safe and travel on!